


Night Sky (Deep End Remix)

by corvidae9



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, bastard!draco, rebel girl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-08-11
Updated: 2005-08-11
Packaged: 2018-10-17 14:45:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10596171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corvidae9/pseuds/corvidae9
Summary: Pansy never thought she'd be the misfit of Slytherin house.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Expansion of my own 4x100 drabble, [Night Sky](http://www.livejournal.com/community/hpfsc/9999.html), for last year's [](http://hpfsc.livejournal.com/profile)[hpfsc](http://hpfsc.livejournal.com/) femmeslash challenge. So much love for the best beta any Luna writer could hope for, [](http://merrycontrary.livejournal.com/profile)[merrycontrary](http://merrycontrary.livejournal.com/)! :D

Draco lived to perfect his malevolent sneer, to ponder his good fortune to have been born a Malfoy, and to come up with new ways to torture Pansy Parkinson. After all, in his estimation it was inevitable that they would one day be wed... he was just practicing for the rest of his life.

Straightening his tie and haughty expression, he strode to the Great Hall to begin another day.

###

Applying one last charm to her hair, Pansy sat painfully straight facing her own reflection. She knew she was not especially beautiful, but she **was** rich, charming and pureblooded, and any combination of the three assured her that she would never have to compete for a husband. All she really had to do was attend to her studies and wait for her parents to notify her of the identity of the family to whom she had been sold. It mattered little that she amounted to breeding stock-- she would never have to work or earn a living; never have to cook or clean house. Unconsciously, she stretched her pale fingers towards the glass, only to hear the mirror say, "Don't touch, dear. You'll leave prints."

Pocketing her wand, she stood and retrieved her school bag, and walked out of her dormitory, head held high.

###

The Great Hall was already filled with students, chattering and making much of the fact that school was nearly over. Seventh years were easy to locate in that those who had actually made it to breakfast appeared exhausted, studying over their meals or staring blankly into space... except for those at the Slytherin table, of course, busily maintaining an air of detachment from the chaos.

Pansy took her place across from Draco, smoothing her skirt and smiling graciously. "Good morning, Draco, I trust you slept well."

Smirking, Draco picked a grape from his plate and held it up in front of his mouth. "I would have slept much better with company, Pansy darling. The Head Boy's room is so dreadfully quiet." The grape slid past his lips with a small 'pop' and Crabbe and Goyle snickered, aware that Draco had made a joke, but unsure of why it had been funny.

Unconcerned, Pansy answered as she carefully set out her silverware. "I'm sorry to hear that you're still having trouble adjusting to your quarters now that the year is almost over. I trust you've brought the matter to Professor Snape's attention?"

"Oh yes, and as much as old Severus admires all things Malfoy, his only suggestion was that he could perhaps keep me company. I'm sure that you can see why I had to turn the offer down."

Ears beginning to redden, Pansy focused her attention on helping herself to a small assortment of fruits and half of a croissant. "That was very generous of him indeed. Shame you had no use for it, although I am a little surprised, considering..."

Draco sat up a little more abruptly than he had intended, struggling to remain nonchalant. "Considering the fact that I was in fact waiting for a flat-chested, dark-haired companion with a peasant nose and a bad attitude, yes. Unfortunately that person was otherwise engaged doing... hmm, what **were** you doing last night, love?"

Crabbe and Goyle laughed heartily, bits of food visible between their teeth. Quiet snickering came from Pansy's left, where Daphne was hiding her smirk with a napkin, golden hair falling forward over her shoulder. Feeling Pansy's glance, she murmured, "I'm sorry Pansy, it really was rather amusing."

Quietly and with as much grace as she could muster, Pansy stood, pushing her plate away slowly, setting her napkin on the table. "Well. I should be on my way. The temperature here has become quite disagreeable and I believe that I have an assignment to review before class. If you'll excuse me..."

Smug grin back in place, Draco leaned back and said, "Adieu, my love - we shall talk later!" before biting into an apple with a loud crunch.

Pansy walked unhurriedly out of the Great Hall and went directly to class as she had said she would, biting her lip. This was the reality of her mornings at the Slytherin table, and she had learned to deal with it accordingly. Such was her place in life.

From an isolated corner of the neighboring Ravenclaw table, Luna's calm, wide-eyed gaze followed Pansy's progress, wondering what it was like to be Draco's favorite sport. She didn't imagine that it could be too much fun.

###

NEWT-level potions was her least favorite subject, but Pansy normally worked twice as hard to compensate, regardless of the fact that she would never in her life be called upon to brew her own potions. It especially stung that her lab partner was a sixth-year Ravenclaw, apparently lucky to know her own name yet possessed of a talent for Potions with which even Snape could rarely find fault.

Luna reached out to touch her wrist lightly, stopping her hand in mid-chop. Her calmly detached voice murmured, "Stop. Those roots are too fine now. We'll have to start again," without the barest hint of annoyance. Bagging the ruined roots, she retrieved another bunch from her case, handing them to Pansy with a patient smile.

Annoyed with herself enough for the both of them, Pansy bagged the roots which were the size of grains of rice, and realized that she had been chopping distractedly. Realizing also that she was lucky not to not have taken a finger off or worse, she mumbled unnecessarily, "I was distracted."

Already focused on stirring complicated patterns into the small cauldron bubbling on the desktop, Luna said quietly, "Yes. Chop. More carefully this time."

Sighing, Pansy began chopping again, putting thoughts of Draco and breakfast and Daphne out of her mind in favor of Potions. Dangerous subjects all.

###

Pansy did not attend lunch in the Great Hall that afternoon. Her traditional seat was filled instead by Daphne's shapely arse, which shifted daintily every time Draco said something vaguely amusing, as she had now for the past few weeks at every given opportunity.

Seemingly paired off with Theodore Nott since before they were born, Nott Sr. had recently fallen out of favor with... certain powerful elements within their social circle, and Daphne had no wish to tie herself to someone likely to find himself... poorly accounted for. Determined to do her part to further her family's interests (more importantly her own), she smiled winningly at Draco and casually mentioned that she could do with a good distraction from NEWT studies; one which might help her sleep better at night.

As it happened, Draco immediately offered to liven her Astronomy studies that very evening, leaving Daphne struggling not to smirk while plotting her ascendance.

###

Luna watched them over her sandwich and Charms text, humming to herself. Today there was no sport at the Slytherin table except Pureblood power struggles, and in this case, she highly approved. She wondered if Daddy knew anyone that could help. Perhaps plant a rumour somewhere close enough to slither into the right ear.

Clapping her hands for her own cleverness, she popped the last bit of sandwich into her mouth and shoved her book back into her bag in order to write an owl.

###

Pansy found it easier to give up her seat across from Draco at the center of the table than she had ever thought possible; shifting two seats to the right to sit between Millicent and Blaise that night at dinner. A quiet murmur accompanied her choice of seats, and as Draco sauntered in, he called loudly to her, "Pansy! My delicate flower! Have I done something to cause you to wound me in such a manner?"

Responding nonchalantly as she opened her napkin and set it on her lap, Pansy smiled. "I'm afraid there was not enough room so near to your brilliance, darling".

Draco grinned nastily and leaned across the table between Goyle and Theo to pat Pansy's cheek. "That's my girl."

Doing very little to hide her amusement behind one hand, Daphne settled into her new seat, promptly sliding her foot out of her shoe to rub against Draco's ankle.

Pansy served herself salad, wondering what might happen if she didn't reclaim her seat tomorrow morning, her appetite gradually waning in spite of missed lunch. Regardless, she pressed on, striking up a conversation with Blaise about the latest rumours regarding the Potions NEWT.

###

Afternoon potions today, and it was Pansy's turn to stir while Luna chopped and measured. Pansy watched the blade slicing and turning, amazed that such random-seeming slices were leaving such beautifully even--

"Pansy. Clockwise."

Startled, Pansy realized that her stirring had nearly come to a stop and quickly began again.

Luna cast a glance at the potion and decided it was salvageable, looking up, concerned. "You should get some sleep. Also, I think it's time for that wormwood."

Pansy sighed and nodded, dreading the end of class.

###

The week passed in a blur of endless revision and classes and extra sessions until finally come Friday night, Pansy sat in the center of her curtained bed, exhausted. Surrounded by texts and highlighted notes, she held her wand out, arm flagging a bit as she practicing various advanced transfigurations.

The whirlwind that was Daphne Greengrass swept into the dormitory, causing havoc wherever her path of destruction took her. In her mind's eye, Pansy could see Daphne shedding her bathrobe at the door as she had for nearly seven years, crossing the room to her bed, nude save for the towel in her hair.

Pansy struggled not to peer through the gap in her bed curtains; not to openly gape at Daphne's perfect shape and firm skin; not to admire the fine curve of her shoulderblades and the deep dimples at the base of her spine. She failed entirely to recall when exactly it was that her appraisal of Daphne's body had gone from causing envy to arousal; when the otherwise normal presence of her warm, damp body had become impossible to ignore without the safety of the heavy velvet bed hangings between them.

The wand in her hand completely forgotten, Pansy edged closer to the slight gap in the bed curtain, pushing her eye to the opening in time to see Daphne beginning to stand, pulling on a pair of lacy, pink knickers. Pansy's jaw dropped involuntarily and watched as Daphne slipped into the matching bra, reaching behind herself to fasten the clasps. Feeling the weight of Pansy's gaze, Daphne turned quickly, hair falling into her eye as she squinted to see if Pansy was indeed watching her.

Caught, Pansy fell backwards onto the mattress as if struck, panting quietly, unable suddenly to breathe.

A moment later, the curtain was pulled aside forcefully, a very exposed Daphne standing at her bedside, pinning her with a smoldering gaze that Pansy could not possibly be interpreting correctly.

"Like what you see, Parkinson?" she breathed, touching her fingertips to the bare skin just above the half-cup of her bra.

Swallowing hard, fighting not to stutter, Pansy managed, "Daph, I..."

Daphne dropped the sultry look for one of thorough disgust. "Oh for the love of Salazar. You sicken me. At least have the decency to hide your _compulsions_ a little more thoroughly." She smiled wickedly and stepped back, allowing the curtain to fall shut between them. "I'll extend your regards to Draco."

Pansy knew. Knew that she should say something in her defense; should do something about Daphne's challenge for the most prized Slytherin bachelor. She knew her father and her family would be more than displeased if she managed to bollocks up their unofficial engagement this late in the game, and yet found that she absolutely could not bring herself to play.

No longer able to concentrate as she heard Daphne slipping on her clothes and charming her hair dry, Pansy shoved the books from her bed in an unseemly pile and rearranged the curtains to make sure they were completely shut. She squeezed her eyes tightly against Daphne's incessant chatter at Millicent, still awkward and huge and too poor for those things to be easily overcome; still worshipping the lovely and talented Daphne for what she might have been rather than what she wanted as her own.

Daphne called an overloud, "Good evening, ladies" over her shoulder before slamming the door to their dormitory. Lying on her bed in the darkness, Pansy curled onto her side and cringed, gripping her pillow tightly, willing herself invisible and nonexistent.

###

Sometime around one AM, Draco stirred in his sleep to find his arms wrapped around something soft and fleshy and generally lovely, and remembered that he'd followed Daphne back to her dorm just after being rudely interrupted just as things were beginning to get interesting up in the Tower. Logically, they should have retired to Draco's room, but Mrs. Norris had been curled into a vigilant ball of patchy fur in the corridor outside, apparently charged with catching him out tonight. Daphne had smiled and simpered and slid her hands up Draco's shirt and offered her bed, and Draco was far too entertained to turn her down.

One Mobilicorpus and two Imperturbable charms later, Daphne discovered that Draco's abilities were nearly as intriguing as he'd always claimed them to be, which for the most part made up for his lack of natural gifts. She'd sighed and fisted her hands in his silvery hair as he suckled her breasts and slipped his fingers into her knickers, she thought briefly of Pansy sleeping soundly not ten feet away and smiled wickedly, greatly pleased with her progress.

Draco, however, had been too consumed keeping Daphne entertained to care, already considering ways of convincing her to repeat the experiment. Come one AM, however, he knew it was past time to get back to his room. Reluctantly pulling away from a delicately sighing Daphne, he sat up quietly and slipped his shorts on. Leaning to press a kiss to her warm shoulder, Draco slipped carefully from the bed and into his clothing as quietly as possible. As he wadded his tie and jammed it into the pocket of his trousers, a shift in the neighboring bed caused him to freeze in his tracks.

Scanning the area, Draco spotted Pansy's bookbag hanging from the hook on the bedpost, and his eyes lit wickedly with an idea so amusing, he had to bite his lip to keep from laughing out loud.

###

Sometime around one AM, Pansy gasped for air as she woke violently from a dream she knew well involved Daphne and her pink lace knickers, but was terrified to admit even to herself what exactly had been involved. Trying to contain her ragged breaths, she settled back down and curled onto her side again, facing away from Daphne's bed, still fully dressed. Her face and neck were flushed, body taut and too warm, and she absolutely could not shake the image of creamy skin glowing in the ambient light. With a low, frustrated growl, her eyes slid shut as she gave in and slid a hand down her own hip; under her wrinkled skirt and between her legs, touching herself through her knickers only to find them already rather damp.

Pansy shifted and whimpered quietly, sliding her fingertips under the elastic and bit her lip, pressing her face to the pillow.

Breath increasingly shallow, she shifted again, awash in comfortable warmth until her eyes flew open at a sudden weight on the bed. A hand clamped tightly over mouth muffling her shriek. Pinned to the mattress and trying to struggle against her unknown attacker, her blood ran cold as she recognized the voice casting the Imperturbable as the grip around her loosened slightly.

"Pansy darling, is that any way to treat your oldest and dearest friend? Especially when you've obviously been thinking about me?"

Certain that he would never attempt something so base as to force himself upon her, she nevertheless squirmed uncomfortably, able to feel his erection pressed to the curve of her arse. Pansy bit the fingers over her mouth hard, causing them to slip away with a mumbled curse, and she hissed, "What the bloody hell are you doing here, Draco?"

Insolent smirk evident in his voice, Draco slipped the hand restraining her middle just a tad lower, his wrist just below her navel as he whispered into her neck, "Miss Greengrass was well and thoroughly done with me -- I thought you could use the company."

Stiffening again, wishing he would move his arm but determined not to give him the satisfaction, Pansy murmured, "You make me nauseous. Get off of me. NOW."

Draco only gripped her more tightly, shifting his hand lower down her hip the other now completely uncovering her mouth.

Hating the edge of panic in her voice, Pansy hissed, "Now, Draco! GET OFF!"

"Oh come on, pet! You and I both know that no one in this house has laid a hand on you in seven years. Isn't it time you gave up that silly habit?" Draco's hand drifted even lower, straying across her hipbone and brushing her knickers, and Pansy bucked fiercely, nearly succeeding in throwing him from the bed.

Draco growled, "Immobulus!" and Pansy's eyes went wide as she was frozen in place. His hands began sliding down her torso and back up, over her breasts and down past her hips. "Mmmm. Better, I think. Who'd have thought it? You and I destined for one another since birth and now I'm having to charm you still to show you a lovely trick. Shame!"

Enraged, Pansy's mind raced, no longer sure of what he would or could do. Not surprised at all by his words, his actions were beginning to scare her, and she strained against the spell, channelling all of her energy towards breaking free of it.

Oblivious, Draco prodded her. "What do you plan to do on our wedding night? Hide in the closet? Under the bed?"

As he spoke, he tweaked her nipple painfully, giving her the necessary adrenaline boost to fuel her nonverbal _Finite Incantatem_. Pansy sprung from the bed, falling through the bed hangings and landed hard on her arse, still backing away as Draco's smirking face appeared in the gap between the curtains. Taking hold of them, he leaned forward and whispered loudly, "Now; this may come as quite a blow, but Daphne told me about your nasty habits which --to be fair-- would not have mattered if my father had his heart set upon you. I, however, have managed to convince him that a Greengrass bride would be of far more value than a Parkinson." Sneering, pleased with himself, he added, "Not to mention the fact that she'd make a _far_ better Malfoy family portrait."

Staring hard, mouth open, Pansy had no idea how to feel. Or rather, she was overwhelmed with both relief and fear, and had been trained for too long to never admit to either.

"Do shut your mouth, Pansy, dear. A lady handles disappointment with grace and equanimity. Not that it applies to you, really. But you could at least make the attempt for appearance's sake."

A peal of laughter from Daphne's bed brought Pansy back to her senses and she stood unsteadily, snatching her cloak from its peg as she hurried from the dormitory and as far as possible from Draco's mocking laughter.

###

Luna had wandered the castle somewhat following Draco, wondering what he found so intriguing about the Astronomy Tower, decidedly not concerned that it might be Pansy, wholly unsurprised when it wasn't. She might have been his favourite sport, but she wanted nothing to do with his game; that much was patently clear.

Halfway to the Astronomy Tower, she stooped to feed Mrs. Norris an enormous chunk of salmon saved from dinner. Mrs. Norris purred loudly while she ate, cleaning her whiskers and rubbing against Luna's ankles before finally running off in the direction of the Head Boy's room.

After that, it was an easy thing to ruin his fun; to open the door at the top of the Astronomy Tower and let spill her bag of bottle caps, _Accio_ -ing them loudly and laughing uproariously and hopping to catch them as they zoomed back to her.

A solid five minutes of catching and laughing passed before her bag was full again and she exited the room fighting stray giggles. Leaning tiredly in the dark niche just down the corridor, she watched as Draco and his companion muttered and cursed about adjourning elsewhere. A small satisfied grin crossed her face as she fingered the bottlecaps in the bag, trying to decide what to do next.

Selecting just the right one, she turned it over in her hand, examining it closely, the bent edges directing her out of the castle. It was an inexact science, reading the caps, but on nights like tonight, there was little room for doubt. And what was life but an inexact science, anyway?

Stifling a yawn, Luna moved stealthily out of the castle, circling the darkened Herbology greenhouses to the edge of the lake. Her bare feet sunk into the moist, cool grass and she bit back a squeal of pure glee, wondering what else there might be to see tonight.

Something was written in the late spring night sky; something that agreed with the butterbeer cap she held out perfectly lined up with the full moon hanging heavy just over the horizon. Luna couldn't read their clicking together well enough to tell exactly what, but it was clear that it had to do with Her. Pansy.

The thought alone was enough to keep her entertained and awake.

Sighing, Luna pocketed the cap and sunk her toes into the squishy mud at the lake's edge and watched. Watched the creatures of the forest sneak out of the trees for a drink of water before melting back into the darkness. Watched the night stars dancing in formation and realized what was about to happen merely by paying close attention to the sinuous serpent suddenly hiding behind Ursa Minor.

Watched as Pansy ran out of the castle and flung herself onto the roots at the base of a gnarled tree nearby; watched as her shoulders heaved and rocked, tears rolling off of her face.

Fascinated, Luna stood and dusted off her skirt, approaching carefully and murmuring, "It’s OK. It gets this dark all the time. You don’t have to worry."

Pansy straightened a bit, growling from somewhere betweeen horror at having been caught and her normal, toxic state. "What kind of fool thing is that to say? Just-- shut up and go away!"

Undeterred, Luna came closer, laying a hand on her sleek hair, letting it slide down her neck and shoulder. "Pansy. He’s so terrible to you. And I could be so much better." Making eye contact, her hand slid further down, coming to rest on her breast. "I _am_ very much better. Let me show you."

Mouth opening and closing, trying to form words to protest, Pansy stared into Luna’s wide eyes as they came closer, followed by lips that were soft and tasted of pineapple. This girl sat next to her in the library and chewed on quills not made of sugar; this girl stared into space during NEWT-level Arithmancy, apparently oblivious, yet always possessing the correct answer.

This loony girl was now slipping her tongue into Pansy’s mouth and there was no stopping her forward momentum, nor did she have any desire to do so.

Luna’s breath blew cool against Pansy’s moist lips as she broke the kiss to murmur, "Mmmm... you taste like double potions and peppermint and other things that kind of hurt, but are good. I wonder..."

Pansy closed her eyes and kissed her back and had no answer. Chilled fingers slipped under her jumper and shirt and pulled gooseflesh along her bare skin and the thought occurred to her that maybe she could slip into an odd enough state of mind to follow along. Just this once.

Just this once, maybe she could feel something other than disdain and fear.

Otherwise engaged, Luna did not have to look up to know that the clouds overhead were slowly moving in to obscure a little more of the offending constellation.

###

It was some unknowable time of the wee hours and Luna was dropping kisses on Pansy's collarbone and neck as she helped Pansy button her shirt. There was further giggling and kissing as the remaining articles of clothing were put back in place as much as possible, mud charmed off of skirts and jumpers and socks; leaves drawn laughingly out of stands of tangled hair, until they both were finally put back together again. Mostly.

Hand in hand like children, they rushed back to the castle as the sky lightened noticeably.

Pansy let go of Luna's hand with a squeeze in the entry hall, turning to run back to the Dungeons before Luna could say or do anything further, doing her best to tuck the memory away. As _hotwonderfulsweet_ amusing as it had been, it wasn't as if it would ever happen again, and that was as it should be.

As she crept through the common room portrait, Pansy was filled with dread, completely unable to fathom the idea of creeping back into her bed. Pulling an overstuffed armchair to face away from the dormitory stairs, she curled up in the seat and fell almost directly into a fitful sleep.

###

Woken by a terrified-looking third year, Pansy stood with a start, glaring at the boy and making it clear he had seen nothing. She crept down to the seventh year dorms and found Daphne already gone to breakfast and hurriedly showered, changed and stuffed her books into her bag, rushing to the Great Hall. Pausing to take a breath and smooth her hair at the door nearest the Slytherin table, she made her usual stately entrance, stopping short as the door slammed behind her.

There was no space for her with the Slytherin seventh years. Draco sat at the center of the table across from Daphne, feeding her something or another; Daphne bursting at the seams, terminally smug.

Pansy walked slowly to give herself enough time to gauge whether she should sit with the fifth years or take an apple and disappear to the Library. Almost involuntarily, she stopped, eyes flicking to the end of the Ravenclaw table; _Her_ end of the Ravenclaw table.

Empty. Of course.

Cursing inwardly for the moment of weakness, she started forward again, but found her progress impeded by a hand at her elbow.

"Good morning. I have plenty of room at my end of the Ravenclaw table." Serious, Luna trained her large eyes on Pansy, holding out her hand, low near Pansy's hip. "You're welcome to sit with me."

Chin immediately lifting, Pansy opened her mouth to speak, yet found herself unwilling to loose the insults on the tip of her tongue. Her gaze shifted to Luna's outstretched hand, staring for a long moment before taking it slowly and squeezing it, now convinced she was just as loony as Luna.

Luna smiled serenely and turned toward the Ravenclaw table, tugging Pansy directly past her Slytherin year mates, now staring and snickering. Draco glared, hissing his disapproval loudly to a smug Daphne as they walked past. "Disgusting."

Stopping abruptly, Luna turned to face Draco. Pansy continued to walk doing her best to ignore the situation, murmuring sharply, "Just walk," but Luna neither moved nor released her hand. Disregarding Pansy's instruction completely, Luna stared at Draco unspeaking, examining him closely, eyes locked on his for a long moment. Slowly, deliberately, Luna reached into her pocket and withdrew a single butterbeer cap, leaning between Daphne and Blaise to place it on the table in front of Draco, straightening with small smile and a pat to Draco's head.

Draco shrugged her hand off violently, staring incredulous as she continued walking to her seat, Pansy in tow. Daphne pursed her lips, unsettled, while the rest of the Slytherin table found itself divided between snickering quietly and watching confused.

Snarling, "Bloody fucking Loon," Draco swept his gaze over the table, causing attention to outwardly shift back to breakfast and last-minute revision, incident filed away for later discussion.

###

Pansy followed Luna to the unoccupied end of her house table, staring detachedly as Luna sat and patted the bench next to her and smiled, "Sit. It's alright. I only ever say things when I mean them."

Never having sat anywhere in the Great Hall but her appointed places at the Slytherin table, Pansy had a brief moment of silent panic, before finally sitting, finding the view surprisingly different. Vaguely aware of several pairs of eyes watching her every move, she sat up and unfolded her napkin gracefully, setting it on her lap.

Pansy stared at table top as a plate materialized in front of her, murmuring to herself as much as to Luna, "I'm never going to be able to sit with them again."

Luna shrugged, carefully placing a croissant on Pansy's plate. "Probably you could, but there's always room here with me."

Alarmed, Pansy turned to face her. "You don't understand. When my father finds out..." Pansy pursed her lips, unwilling to follow that train of thought.

"You're more than a sport, or some sort of Pureblood breeding stock. If your father never told you that, he's done you more of a disservice than Draco ever did. Strawberry?"

Pansy stared at her for a moment. "Lovegood. If I continue with this... this... _insanity_ , I will likely never be able to go home again. I will likely be disowned, and end up like a common Weasley with not a penny to my name."

As if it was the most obvious answer in the world, Luna smiled and swallowed her mouthful of fruit, patting Pansy's arm. "You are fully qualified to take care of yourself. Or at least you will be in about three weeks."

Growing more shrill, the reality of the situation beginning to dawn on her, Pansy fought to contain her voice, "Loony!! It is entirely possible that I will be made to expire shortly as a result of a _peculiar accident_. And if I do not, I will be made to wish I had! Did I mention _poor_?!"

Luna, still nonchalant, reached out and squeezed her hand. "You could always stay with us. Our wards are rather good if I do say so myself. We had a troupe of freelance goblins set up Ethereal Barbed Wire and--"

Pansy gaped. "Are you suggesting that I should live with you? You don't even know me! Do you even have a house elf?"

"I know you well enough. Besides, we have plenty of room."

"Lo--"

In response, Luna simply leaned forward and closed the distance between them with a soft, short kiss, setting off a ripple of murmurs from the Slytherin table behind them. "Would you rather go back?"

Pansy jerked her head up to sneak a look at them again, no idea how to answer. "I--"

Smiling Luna took her hand again and set it on her thigh. "It's alright. I'll ask again later."


End file.
